Yorkshire pudding, a common British side dish made of a simple batter (egg, flour, and milk) that is baked, traditionally, in a large, shallow tin with roast-beef drippings. It was devised in northern England in the mid-18th century as a cheap and filling appetizer that was served prior to the pricier main meat dish of beef or mutton. During that time meat was commonly roasted on a spit suspended over a fire, and the pudding was placed under the meat while it roasted, letting the hot juices drip onto it. The fierce heat of the fire helped create a light, crispy crust over the pudding. The popover-like dish was then cut into squares and served with gravy.

Sunday roast with (centre) Yorkshire pudding.

Scott B. Rosen/Eat Your World (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

Contemporary Yorkshire pudding is a typical side dish for Britain’s traditional Sunday meal—commonly known as “Sunday roast,” or “Sunday lunch”—which is usually served in the early afternoon and acts as the day’s big meal. When sausage is added to the Yorkshire pudding mix, the dish is called Toad in the Hole.

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...and kidney being the best known), game, poultry, and vegetables enclosed in suet pastry. Black and white puddings are sausages with cereal added, the black being coloured with pig’s blood. The Yorkshire pudding eaten with roast beef is a baked egg-rich batter.